Choosing a baby name can be tricky, so it’s no surprise that Jessica Simpson and fiancé Eric Johnson were, until recently, at an impasse about what to call their soon-to-be born daughter. “They tossed around a lot of names, including some wacky ones like Zinfandel, but couldn’t agree on anything,” a family friend confides. Now, the pair has come to an understanding, and In Touch — which was first to break the news both of Jessica’s pregnancy and of the baby’s sex — can exclusively reveal the unusual (for a girl) moniker. “They’re going to call her Maxwell, Maxi for short,” the friend says. Maxwell is Eric’s middle name, and also his beloved grandma’s maiden name. “Jessica wanted a name with meaning.” And not only has Jessica’s been seen wearing a necklace with a diamond “M” pendant in honor of her little bundle of joy, the couple also already ordered onesies monogrammed with the name! Jessica, 31, is now set to give birth on April 20, three weeks earlier than her original due date. “She’s gained so much weight and the baby is so big that doctors pushed up the date,” reveals her friend. And while the thought of giving birth freaks her out, “Jessica and Eric are so eager to meet Maxwell!”

HMMM … I have to say … I’m not sure that I really believe this report. I was on board until the claim was made that Jessica was seriously considering naming her daughter Zinfandel. LOL! That being said, I would not be surprised if Jess does go with an M name. The fact that she’s wearing an M pendant might be the best piece of evidence that a name has been chosen. I know a lot of people are thinking Jess would go with a name like Daisy Mae or something like that but … I guess it’s possible that she’ll call her child Maxi. What do y’all think? Does it seem likely to you that Jessica would name her daughter Maxwell?

@iehartaustin LMFAO!!!!!!! I was thinking the same thing with Maxi Pad. What is it with celebrities going for names that don’t exist in nature (well, Maxwell doesn’t exist for a girl really)? Try something boring for a girl like Mary or Jane or Jessica or Alison or something nice and simple like that. They are pretty and most importantly NORMAL!

@Joanna — “They are pretty and most importantly NORMAL!” But there is no such thing as normal. Conventional doesn’t necessarily equal “normal”. I’m not crazy about Maxwell as a name for a girl but I don’t find it abnormal.

Very true, Trent. The lines for gendered names gets more and more blurred with time. For example Mackenzie used to be a boys name (and according to my mother it would have been my name had I been born a boy) and now I see tons of girls with that name.

I think it is kind of cute (and I don’t hear the phrase “maxi pad” except for in really old commericals).

The thing that concerns me, is if this is true that means that people close to Jessica are selling her out. That would be REALLY sad if someone ruined her big news by selling the information. I know “normal” people that like to keep the baby’s name secret, sometimes for supersticious reasons like not counting your chicks before they hatch, and I think it is so wrong to leak this info.

stop complaining it’s to honor her fiance who’s middle name is Maxwell and it can be used as a unisex name like Ashley brooklyn Carroll Courtney Joey & Kim among others there’s always been crazy names in hollywood why do you think old time stars didn’t use their real names for the most part. as long as Jessica and baby Maxwell are healthy the name is secondary so why fuss over something we can’t change

It makes some sense with the other report with her saying shes going more traditional (because Maxwell seems like an older, traditional name) and you’ll know why the name has meaning when you hear it (the family connection). But the name is just an ugly girls name, and I can’t see Jess picking an ugly name. I think there’s a bigger chance of her naming the baby Mae/May after her beloved dog.

And I can totally see her telling this to a friend she thinks is selling stories to tabloids to see if she can catch them. Cause really, Zinfandel?